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About London
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LONDON is a big city. This may sound obvious but it does mean that wherever you stay, even in the very centre, you will still need to use public transport. Nearly all our homes are located near an underground station (the tube) and often even closer to a bus stop (which can be a more pleasurable way to travel around London). The most central area in London is zone 1 on the underground, and zones 2 and 3 where we have some very lovely homes are only a 10-20 minute tube ride to the centre. SOME OF MY FAVOURITE MARKETS Portobello Road near Notting Hill Gate underground station. A mix of antiques and bric a brac, suitable for the serious collector or browser, and some shops and stalls open during the week but Saturday is the day. Camden Lock in Camden Town. Busy on Saturday and mobbed on Sunday, an eclectic mix of antiques, modern and vintage clothes, modern, 60-70s and ethnic furniture, wide range of meals to purchase, great buzz. Recently undergone an amazing transformation. Borough Market near London Bridge underground- a marvellous selection of organic and fresh food. Buy or just look. Covent Garden - shops, restaurants and an undercover market of quality goods and bric a brac. Columbia Market - famous flower market in East London which opens only on a Sunday. Also charming antique and bric a brac shops to browse in. Spitalfields
market, open 6 days a week and closed on Saturday. Sunday is the largest market day 9am-5pm. Brushfield Street, Spitalfields,
London E1 SOME OF MY FAVOURITE ART GALLERIES and MUSEUMS The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square which you can walk to from Leicester Square, Charing Cross, Piccadilly Circus underground stations. The Royal Academy of Arts - near Piccadilly Circus and Green Park. Always several interesting exhibitions to view. The Victoria and Albert Museum, also called the V&A, near Knightsbridge and South Kensington underground stations. Beautiful building, interesting exhibitions. The National Portrait Gallery in Leicester Square. SOME OF MY FAVOURITE PARKS http://www.royalparks.org.uk Regent's Park near Baker Street. It is wonderful to watch the changing seasons, wander around the glorious Rose Garden, have a boat ride on the pond and find the secret garden. Holland Park with its Japanese garden and well-manicured lawns. Hampstead Heath is just the place to enjoy a good walk - to Kenwood if you can with its stately home, occasional indoor soirees over the winter months and open air concerts in the summer. Kew Gardens which is vast and wonderful and yes, I know that strictly speaking it is not a park (you have to pay to enter) but it is special and has marvellous trees and plants and is a constant reminder of the changing seasons. Golders Hill Park near Golders Green underground station. Just very pretty, and also contains a small zoo. Richmond Park which is lovely to drive through and a delight to walk in. I can highly recommend the magnificent Isabella Plantation in the park and which I only discovered a few years ago. However you need to visit in late April or early May when the azaleas and rhododendrons are in bloom and you can imagine yourself in the middle of a painting. FORTHCOMING EVENTS 19 June- 5 September 2010, Festival Brazil at Southbank Centre: Celebrating the dynamic culture of today's Brazil, this major estival will be held outdoors along South Bank - three months of free performances, exhibitions and shows. 19 June-5 September 2010, Ernesto Neto: The Edges of the World: Wander through Ernesto Neto's amazing installations at the Hayward Gallery on London's South Bank. Neto is known for his immersive artworks, often made from stretched lycra, which give the impression of being inside a body. Spices, plastic balls and cushions are used to provide different textures and scents. Until 26 September 2010, Grace Kelly Style Icon: The spectacular wardrobe of Grace Kelly is on display at the V&A. Tracing the evolution of her style from her days as one of Hollywoods most popular actresses in the 1950s and as Princess Grace of Monaco, the display presents over 50 of Grace Kelly's outfits together with hats, jewellery and the original Hermès Kelly bag. 25 June- October 2010, lllumination - Hebrew Treasures from the Vatican and Major British Collections at The Jewish Museum: An exhibition on three rare Hebrew manuscripts from the collections of the Vatican Library that have never before been shown to the public in Britain. The manuscripts, which are among the most important Jewish works of scholarship and learning, will be displayed together with exquisitely beautiful manuscripts from the British Library and more for the museum’s opening exhibition. 8 July - 18 July 2010, Somerset House Summer Concert Series 2010: Somerset House's stunning courtyard will be the setting for some of London's best open air concerts, as the Summer Series returns with an incredible line up. This year the line up is just as strong, and the eclectic mix of performers combined with wonderful acoustics are sure to make these gigs very popular. 10 July - 17 October 2010, Serpentine Gallery Pavilion: Explore Jean Nouvel's Pavilion for free at the Serpentine Gallery in London. 14 July - 14 August 2010, Ping Pong Parlour: Billed as an 'unashamedly eccentric table tennis social club', this one-month pop-up offers the chance to play ping pong for free, and hosts themed (paid-for) events such 'Ping Pong Portraiture', offering the opportunity to have your portrait drawn on a ping pong ball. 24 July - 1 August 2010, Love Parks Week 2010: Make the most of London's great parks and enjoy a week of family-friendly events, ranging from teddy bears' picnics to outdoor theatre. 24 July - 22 August 2010, Ping! London: Ping! has installed table tennis tables at some surprising locations in the capital. Bats and balls are included so all you need to do is show up and have a go. Ping! activities and tables are at numerous locations, here are just a few: British Library, Natural History Museum, The O2, Tate Modern, Heathrow Terminal 5 & Westfield Shopping Centre. Until 25 July 2010, A Garden within Doors at the Geffrye Museum: Focusing on indoor plants and flowers, this exhibition features displays in all the museum's period rooms as well as the exhibition gallery. Fashions and the deeper psychological significance of the role of houseplants in homemaking will be examined for periods spanning the sixteenth century to the present, with a special focus on 1800 to 1914. 30 July - 27 August 2010, Funky Fridays at the V&A Museum of Childhood: The Museum of Childhood is the hot ticket for kids all summer! There is a series of special events every Friday throughout the holidays featuring musicians, artists, performers and storytellers and more! Until 31 July 2010, Waterloo Quarter Food Festival: A celebration of food and drink in the Waterloo area, with offers at bars, pubs, cafés, restaurants and food shops, and events including cookery demonstrations and tastings (see the website for full details). 5- 25 August 2010, Le Cirque Invisible: A family-friendly show of magic, illusions and transformations from husband and wife team Jean-Baptiste Thierrée and Victoria Chaplin, featuring such delights as acrobatics, music played on glass bowls hung on the body, and contortion evoking the shapes of various animals. Suitable for all ages. 6 – 12 September 2010, Greenwich Comedy Festival: London’s biggest ever comedy festival returns with another bumper crop of the biggest and best names in comedy and cabaret. The beautiful grounds of the Old Royal Naval College makes way for three fantastic venues including a world famous Spiegel Tent and The Fountain Bar, a spectacular illuminated bar and stage constructed around one of the venues magnificent fountains. Audiences young and old will be treated to a week of hilarious headliners, hot new talents, unmissable activities - including the brilliant Silent Disco - bars, food stalls and so much more. 10 - 25 September 2010, The 8th London African Music Festival: The 8th London African Music Festival will feature a musical mix of concerts, unique collaborations, free performances and workshops in the heart of London communities featuring artists from 23 countries. This year's festival will take place in 6 venues - Southbank Centre, Albany Theatre, Bloomsbury Theatre, Jazz Café, Richmix and Stratford Circus.. 1 – 10 October 2010, The Story of London: This 2nd Story of London Festival will take place from 1 – 10 October 2010 and will focus on the theme of London’s future. It will examine the stories London’s heritage tells about past breakthroughs, how innovation in the present day is an economic engine and how the city can innovate as it faces the challenges of the 21st century and beyond. 13 - 28 October 2010, The 54th BFI London Film Festival: The BFI London Film Festival champions creativity, originality, vision and imagination by annually showcasing the best of contemporary world cinema, documentaries, shorts, animation and experimental film. The Festival is a highly regarded and anticipated event in Europe's cultural calendar, attracting leading international filmmakers, industry professionals and the media together with large public audiences to London for a two week showcase of the best in contemporary world cinema. 15 October 2010 – 6 February 2011, Future Beauty - 30 Years of Japanese Fashion at the Barbican: This is the first exhibition in Europe to comprehensively survey avant-garde Japanese fashion, from the early 1980s to now. Japanese designers made an enormous impact on the world couture scene in the late 20th century. Innovators such as Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto redefined the very basis of fashion, challenged established notions of beauty, and turned fashion very firmly into art. 1 November 2010 – 25 March 2011, The Royal Mews Buckingham Palace: One of the finest working stables in existence, the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace provides a unique insight into the department of the Royal Household that provides transport by road for The Queen and other members of the Royal Family..
From Heathrow you can take the underground into the centre. The Heathrow Express is the non-stop train service between Heathrow Airport and Paddington operating 365 days per year. Heathrow Connect is another train service which stops at Ealing Broadway and other tube stations on its way to Paddington. The National Express coach services operate from the central bus station to and from central London (Victoria). Gatwick Stansted Luton Airport London City Airport Option 2 - West End via Canning Town Take the Docklands Light Railway from London City Airport to Canning Town to connect with the Jubilee Line. The journey time to Canning Town is approximately 7 minutes and the trains run at 8-15 minute intervals.
IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING ON YOUR OWN please look at our SINGLES PAGE which you will find under Accommodation & Prices. If you wish to stay only one or two nights, please look at HOW TO BOOK. Our A CATEGORY homes are located in zones 1 and 2. Prices vary from £37 to £49 per person per night for two visitors sharing a double or twin bedroom. The price for a single visitor is from £42 to £85 per night depending on location and facilities. We are sometimes able to negotiate a special price for single visitors staying in an A Category home generally offered for double occupancy.
B+ CATEGORY homes offer private or en suite bathroom or shower and are located in zones 2 and 3. The price is £35 per person per night for two visitors sharing a double or twin bedroom, and £50 to £60 per night for the single visitor. Occasionally our B+ Category homes offer shared facilities with a single visitor, and the price is reflected in the quality of the home.
B CATEGORY homes are £30 per person per night sharing a twin or double room and £36 per night for the single visitor in a dedicated single bedroom. These homes offer shared facilities and are in zones 2 and 3.
C CATEGORY homes are £26 per person per night sharing a twin or double room and £28 per night for the single visitor. These homes offer shared facilities and are located mainly in zones 3 and 4. We are sometimes able to negotiate a special price for a single visitor staying in a double or twin bedroom in our B and C Category homes. There is an additional £6 administration charge for your original booking and an extra administration charge of £2 if you wish to extend your stay. This amount may vary for visitors staying on a longterm basis. You can be assured that we maintain high security standards as we are now PCI DSS compliant (details on our booking form). Hosts provide bed linen, towels and soap, and we suggest you bring other personal toiletries with you. Hosts generally make the beds, empty waste baskets and give the room a quick clean every day. If there is something specific you need, then please just ask. Just to add - some visitors have asked whether host families expect a tip or gratuity. Staying in a private home is not the same as staying in a hotel and most of my host families would be embarrassed by any monetary tip. If you wish to show appreciation, then a bunch of flowers or box of chocolates is always a lovely gesture. For some additional information click here
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